Despite democratisation, interest groups are still underdeveloped in the country. Malawi is an intensely religious country and the churches are the main form of associational life outside government. The influential Roman Catholic Church comments on public affairs through the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace. In June 2002, this commission joined other churches in voicing concern about the trend in government to introduce legislation that would make it possible for President Muluzi to stand for a third presidential term. The churches went out of their way to warn the population against the development of another dictatorship and, significantly, a parliamentary bill to scrap the limit on the presidential term was voted down a month later. As the presidential third term campaign was relaunched, the church was united with student and other civil society groups in the Forum for the Defence of the Constitution (FDC) as the main voice of opposition to the constitutional amendment agenda.
The trade union movement claims large memberships, but these are difficult to verify. There are two umbrella labour organisations, namely the Congress of Malawi Trade Unions (COMATU) and the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU).
The trade union movement claims large memberships, but these are difficult to verify. There are two umbrella labour organisations, namely the Congress of Malawi Trade Unions (COMATU) and the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions (MCTU).
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